


Sun Rises, Moon Falls

by FoxFire16



Category: Naruto
Genre: Anbu Hatake Kakashi, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Iruka needs a hug, Kid Umino Iruka, M/M, Protective Hatake Kakashi, i don't know how to tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2021-01-05 19:55:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21214184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoxFire16/pseuds/FoxFire16
Summary: After the Kyuubi attack, Iruka is sure he is going to die. But why is there a baby here? And... and who is the mysterious ANBU that is here to rescue him?OR, That time Iruka almost starved to death and Kakashi decided to nurse him back to health.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Special request from my twin amd little sister, who I can never deny. I still don't watch this show; constructive criticism still appreciated. I did some research this time. Did you know there's a whole wikipage on this show?? I didn't!

The first thing Iruka noticed was the pain: a burning itch that spanned his nose, making him hiss through his teeth. Around him, the once-proud village lay in ruins, devastated by the demon fox's attack. 

Slowly, he struggled to his feet, gripping his arm in pain as it became apparent that something had been broken in the fall. The fall... who had thrown him? The fox? No... no, it had been his father. Oh, Kami. His father!  
"FATHER!" He cried, frantic. "MOM!" Desperate and panicking, the boy stumbled through the wreckage. He'd seen his father fall, heard his mother's scream, yet still... still, he searched, hoping against hope that they were still alive. Five hours, he looked, but nothing. Utter silence met his cries, the kind of quiet that drives you insane.

Iruka slid down a mostly-intact wall and buried his face in his hands. Just as he was considering running to another village, he heard it.

"Wa-waaaa-aaaaahhhhh!" Something wailed in the distance. It sounded like... a baby? Iruka followed the sound to a worn out, wriggling orange shirt. No telling whose shirt it was, but clearly there was something inside it.

Carefully, the young Umino crouched beside it and peeled it back with his good arm. It WAS a baby, a little blond boy with big blue eyes and six marks on his cheeks, like whiskers. They didn't come off when Iruka rubbed at them, but it didn't seem to hurt the kid.

"Hush, now..." Iruka bounced the baby gently, holding it to his chest to shelter it. "I'm here now. Come on." He searched until he found the remains of his desecrated home. There wasn't much left, but there was enough to provide partial shelter from the rain that had begun to fall.

Iruka curled up around the baby, trying to protect him to some degree. As the day's awful events caught up to him, he felt tears begin to track down his muddy, blood-crusted face. With the baby in his arms, he cried himself to sleep.

For days, it went on like this. Wake up. Check the baby. Find food. Chew it, give it to the baby. Find water. Split it with the baby, take just enough. Try to rebuild. The sun rises. The moon falls.  
Somewhere around the eighth day, his feeble building efforts collapsed, along with the previously standing part of the building. It was nearly impossible to build with one arm, especially with a baby to look after!

On the tenth day, the storms started. Iruka managed to locate his father's old yukata, which he wrapped around the baby to protect him from the cold. The fact that he was even still alive told Iruka that he was a fighter. He lost track of time, sitting there hunched in the rain, trying to shield the child, accepting that he would soon die. Only the baby's cries kept him conscious at all as he struggled to find food for it. He hadn't eaten anything yet.

It must have been the fifteenth day when everything changed.  
Iruka raised his head, less than an inch.

"Look, baby," he whispered, too tired to speak louder. "The rain's stopped." Then he frowned, because he could still hear it striking the rubble. Slowly, he forced his head to raise, an inch at a time, until he found himself staring at... at...

"UAAAH!" He fell back, raising an arm to shield the baby, the other going to brace himself on the ground. That was his broken one, and he yelped in pain as it hit the rough stone. The figure in front of him propped the umbrella up against the wall-ish piece and crouched in front of him, lifting his chin with a finger. Iruka knew he was nothing nice to look at right now. Starving, blood and dirt caked onto his face, rain soaked, hair matted and bedraggled and clothes stuck so tight to him he thought they might have been a second skin. Somehow, though, he didn't care. He couldn't care. The person looking at him wore a mask. A white dog mask. With red markings. Oh, Kami!

"AN...BU...?" He asked hoarsely, trying to focus. The masked figure nodded.

"How long since you've eaten?" He asked. Or she. No... this one was male.

"I... I don't kn-now," Iruka whispered. "I thought everyone was d-dead!"

"No," said the ANBU. "Just elsewhere. How long since he's eaten?" 

F-few hours, ANBU-san." Iruka had to struggle to keep his voice steady.

"And how long since either of you have had anything to drink?" The ANBU's own voice was strained with something like worry.

"D-drinking the rain. Nothing else, ANBU-san." The man hissed. Within the next moment, Iruka found himself being carried through the air, the baby whimpering against his chest. He yelped at the pain in his arm, but the ANBU only clutched him tighter.

Droplets of rain stung Iruka's cheeks as they ran, farther and farther from his old house. Despite his usual pride, he pressed a bit closer to the man, shivering.

"W-where are you t-taking us?" He asked.

"First, to the Hokage," the ANBU answered. "Then, the hospital!" Iruka almost protested; Then, he looked at the half-dead baby in his arms and thought better of it. He'd need care, more than Iruka could give him. Besides, if his mother was still alive...

A few minutes later, Iruka began seeing signs of life. The buildings were intact. The signs were up, some of them, and people walked in and out. Finally, the huge tower came into view. It was mostly broken, but Iruka could see the Sandaime standing on the highest intact level, talking with one of the jonin. The ANBU gently set him down in front of their leader, and he fell to his knees. Whether out of respect or weakness, even Iruka couldn't have said.

"What? Who is this, Hound?"

"I found him in the wreckage of the Umino household," answered the ANBU, who Iruka now saw to be a boy, a little older than him. The Hokage knelt down to look Iruka in the eyes.

"You wouldn't happen to be Umino Iruka, now would you?" He asked. Iruka nodded silently. The baby cooed, shifting against him, and the Sandaime looked at it... and went rigid.

"May I see him, Iruka-san?" He asked gently. Iruka warily handed the boy over. It felt strange, after ten days, to have empty arms again. The Sandaime looked up at him. "Do you know who this is, Iruka?" He asked. Iruka shook his head. "This is Naruto Uzumaki," said the Hokage. "Current host of the demon fox." Iruka paled.

"Wh...what...?" He gasped weakly. A wave of horror washed over him and the whole world went black.

The last thing he heard was the Sandaime's voice, urgently saying, "Get him to the hospital; call for Tsunade Senju. Hurry!"

===============================

When Iruka next woke, he found himself in a white bed, in a white room. There was something beeping steadily beside him and a slight sting in his arm; a needle. Beside him, in a chair, sat a boy. He was maybe 16 or 17, with one coal black eye and one eye shut tight, a large scar bisecting it. Most of his face was hidden from view by a black cloth mask, but that shock of wild silver hair was hard to mistake.

"ANBU-san," Iruka said softly, still weak. The boy looked up quickly from his book, some orange-covered monstrosity.

"Oh," he said. "You're awake." Leaning forward, the young ANBU placed a hand on Iruka's forehead. "That's good," he noted. "Last night, you fell under a nasty fever. It took the old hag nearly five hours to stabilize you. Do you feel any better?" Iruka nodded slowly.

"I can feel my fingers again," he said, then grimaced. "But my throat really hurts. Can I have some water? Is there any available? Don't if someone else needs it."

The ANBU shook his head. "God, look at you," he said amusedly. "Half dead of dehydration, starvation, injury, AND exposure, and he won't even allow himself water if someone else needs it. Yes, dummy, there's enough. The fox didn't damage our supply." He popped out and back in so quickly Iruka didn't even see his hands move. "Here; drink." He handed Iruka a glass, which he drained in seconds. "Careful," said the boy when the brunet handed it back. "Drink too much at once, and you'll throw up." Iruka nodded, ever obedient.

A moment later, a towering woman with loose blonde pigtails and ENORMOUS breasts strode confidently into the room. Iruka looked down, instantly aware of who she was.

"Senju-sama," he said quietly. "I understand I owe you my life." She waved him off.

"Ah, think nothing of it, it's my job. Besides, where would we be without our future Academy Sensei?" She asked with a small smile. Iruka blushed lightly, previously unaware that the whole village apparently knew his ambition. Tsunade turned to the ANBU. "Take him home, brat," she said, her tone far more harsh than it had been a second ago. "Make sure he gets plenty of rest and water, but only small portions of food at first, otherwise he'll start throwing up and lose even more weight than he already has. You hear me?"

The ANBU sighed. "Sure, old hag." Iruka paled. Old WHAT now!? Surely she would hit him or at least berate him for such disrespect! Instead, she scoffed.

"Make sure he eats. Small portions, five times a day, okay?" The ANBU nodded again, more seriously this time.

"I know," he said. "I'll take care of him, I promise." He looked down at where Iruka lay prone on the bed. "After all," he said, "he single-handedly kept Sensei's son alive for fifteen days without eating a bite himself. I owe him more than he knows."

Iruka frowned. "He's right here," he pointed out, "and can hear everything you're saying." Tsunade's laughter nearly shook the room.

===============================

"Well," said the ANBU, "here we are." He carried Iruka into a huge house (having given up waiting for the boy to stumble after him, he'd simply picked him up) and set him down gently on the floor. "Your room's this one," he said, guiding the 12-year-old into a small bedroom in the first hallway. "And mine's down there, the one on the left there, so you can call me if you need anything. The bathroom is over here..."

The tour only took about ten minutes, but it felt like a lifetime to Iruka, who was somehow still tired. Eventually, the silver-haired ANBU noticed the brunet's yawns and dragged him back to his room.

"I'll go find you something to wear," he said, eyeing Iruka's more-than-slender frame. "Goodnight, Iruka-kun." Iruka half-heartedly bowed and retreated into the room. He sat down on the futon, but couldn't find even the energy to lie down. The horror of the last few weeks caught up to him and tears welled in his eyes. His parents were both dead. He was an orphan. He'd wasted food on the host of the demon fox, keeping a monster alive and starving himself. Soaking wet, shivering, alive through only sheer force of will, convinced he would die before long. A broken sob wrenched itself out of his body and he clapped both hands over his mouth to stop the noise from reaching the ANBU's bedroom. Stupid. He hadn't even asked his name. But then, did ANBU even use names?

Tears rolled freely down hollow cheeks, dripping to pool in defined collarbones and falling in rivulets down his thin chest under the hospital gown they'd given him. There was the sound of the door opening, and Iruka went rigid, willing the tears to stop and drying his cheeks before turning to face... a dog?

"How did you get in here?" Iruka asked, smiling at the creature. It dropped whatever it was carrying and opened its mouth.

"Well, it wasn't that hard, given that I do live here." A beat passed, and then Iruka scrambled away and clutched his head.

"This isn't real, this isn't real," he chanted to himself. "It's okay." But when he looked up, the dog was still there. Iruka whimpered.

"I'm real," said the pug. "My name's Pakkun. Boss sent me to bring you this. Also, I saw you crying, so I'm staying with you tonight, orders be damned. Good?" He picked up the bundle and dropped it on Iruka's lap. It was an oversized black t-shirt. Hesitantly, Iruka slipped off the gown. The pug gaped.

"Good Lord," he breathed. "Boss said you were underfed, but he didn't say... didn't your mother ever give you food?" Iruka shrugged, looking down. It didn't look that bad. Then the pug led him to a full length mirror, and Iruka gasped.

Every rib showed clearly, his collarbones were defined, his cheekbones could cut glass, and his waist was non-existent. He looked like a ghost, wasted away completely. Revolted, he turned away and slipped on the shirt. It hung down nearly to his knees. Ignoring the size as best he could, Iruka laid down on the futon and curled up. A second later, the pug wriggled into his arms. Somehow, its warm body was comforting, and Iruka buried his nose in the soft fur and fell instantly asleep.

===============================

When he next woke, the room was filled with light and there was someone crouched over him.

"Gh-!" He tried to move back, but pain flashed up his recently mended arm.

"Easy," said the figure. Iruka relaxed; it was the ANBU.

"C'mon, you have to eat something."

Iruka blinked. "W-what time-"

"About noon," answered the ANBU. Iruka nodded. The boy led him to the small kitchen and turned on the stove. As the Umino watched, he wondered at the ANBU's efficiency in the kitchen. He made it seem like a ritual, cooking and prepping and making tea all at once... only what the hell kind of tea was that?

"Here," said the ANBU, handing him a small plate of eggs and white fish. "Eat what you can, it's alright if you can't finish." Iruka nodded.

"Thank you, er... A-ANBU-san." The boy looked up at him.

"Oh," he said. "That's right, I forgot." He seemed to smile under the mask. "I'm Hatake Kakashi, ANBU codename Hound. Nice to meet you, Iruka-kun."

Iruka picked at his food as well as he could. The tea turned out to be a bitter concoction to ease the pain of his injuries. Iruka smiled at Kakashi, a real smile. The ANBU blinked and took the mostly cleared plate from the boy.

"Do... do you read?" He asked. Iruka nodded eagerly, eyes sparking with sudden wary interest. "Okay, then, come with me." Kakashi led Iruka into a large room with several books. "Go on," he said to the gaping brunet. "Pick a few."

Iruka browsed the shelves, brushing his fingers wonderingly over the spines, almost shivering with pleasure. His books had all been lost, wrecked by fox, fire, rain, or all three. He chose three books and jumped as a hand touch his lower back, guiding him out another door into an open space behind the house. It wasn't as large as it had seemed the night before, he realized, though it was very empty.

He let the ANBU guide him to a small pond, surrounded by stones with a few water lilies floating on it and koi swimming around. A stone bench stood proudly next to the water, and the whole thing was surrounded by blooming cherry trees and other bushes. The scene took Iruka's breath away.

Slowly, he moved into the garden and sat down on the bench. Kakashi watched him for a moment, not speaking.

"It's open to you whenever you want," he said at length. Iruka smiled.

"Thank you, Hatake-san," he breathed. Kakashi winced.

"That was my father," he said. "Kakashi is fine." Nodding, Iruka corrected himself.

"Then thank you, Kakashi-san." Kakashi nodded by way of acknowledgement. Iruka lost track of time reading in the garden, only coming back to himself when he turned the last page of the second book and realized it was too dark to see the words. Goodness; it had been almost five hours.

Iruka stood and stretched, noting that stars were starting to come out. He walked back to the house, ducking quietly into the library to reshelve the books.

"Ah," came a voice from the door. "You're back, I was about to go get you. Dinner's ready." Iruka looked up to see Kakashi leaning against the doorframe, watching him.

"Hai, Kakashi-san," he said.

"I'd have come earlier," Kakashi said, "but you looked so peaceful out there. I figured you deserved a break from life for while. Come on." He led Iruka to the kitchen and ruffled his hair. Iruka frowned, but washed his hands and set the table for the two of them.

"What's this?" Kakashi asked from the stove. "You've learned my kitchen already?" Iruka shook his head.

"Saw you this morning," he explained.

"Ahhh," said the young ANBU. "That explains it. Sneaky, aren't you?" Iruka flushed, but nodded.

"I... I'm kind of a troublemaker at the Academy," he said quietly. "But I won't be!"

Kakashi chuckled. "You're welcome to try," he said. "I'll think of it as reflex training." Iruka shook his head violently. "Alright," said Kakashi.

===============================

The next morning, Kakashi summoned Pakkun and went into Iruka's room, knocking lightly on the door before sliding it open.

"Wake up, sleepyhead," he said, then stopped. Iruka sat hunched over against the wall, head in his hands, staring at the floor. Kakashi crouched in front of him. Wide brown eyes--ringed with gold, he noticed--shone with tears as he watched the wood, unseeing.

"Iruka?" the ANBU called. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Suddenly, without warning, Iruka shrieked, gripping his hair tightly in his fists and gasping out something that sounded vaguely like "Mom!" before crumpling to the floor, lying curled in a ball. The boy's thin frame shook as he sobbed, still trapped in a nightmare.

Kakashi leaned over him and shook him, hard. "Wake up, Iruka," he said calmly. "It's only a dream. You're safe now. Wake up." A strangled gasp left the orphan's tortured throat and he sat bolt upright, already scrubbing at his cheeks to rid them of the tears.

"I'm--I'm okay," he muttered brokenly. "I'm sorry if I woke you." Kakashi looked helplessly at the door; he really was useless with this sort of thing. Pakkun gestured wildly, flailing his legs in an awkward air hug sort of thing. So Kakashi turned back to Iruka and gripped his shoulder, then pulled him forward onto his lap. Iruka went totally rigid for a second. Kakashi held his breath, afraid that he had crossed some boundary. Then suddenly, the tiny brunet sagged limply against his chest and buried his face in the pale collar, wrapping his arms tight around the ANBU's shoulders.

Kakashi slid one arm around the brunet's waist, rubbing circles into his back with the other. "It's alright, Iruka," he said. "I'm here. You're safe, now." Iruka struggled to speak while holding back a sob. Shame that Kakashi had to see this.

"W-why do y-you ca-are?" He whispered. "I-I mean, w-why have y-you b-b-been so k-kind to me?" Kakashi actually had to think about it.

"I saw you there," he said, "sitting in seven inches of rain water, mostly dead, broken arm and starving and soaked and holding... holding a baby. I knew you were special right then, because only a shinobi could have survived that long. But... but I've never seen a shinobi with that kind of compassion in their heart. Not since Obito, my teammate, died. And that baby? His father was our Jonin sensei, when we were genin. I owe you so much more than you know. And seeing that sort of love in a ninja's spirit... I couldn't let you die. I physically couldn't. I wouldn't have left you there anyways, but you... you touched something in me, and I HAD to help you. That's why I'm caring for you. Because you're important. Understand?"

Iruka met his gaze, wide-eyed. Kakashi flushed under his mask, and Iruka stretched up towards his face, peering into his eyes. Well, eye.

"Oh," was all he said, so quietly that Kakashi almost missed it. Then Iruka leaned in and, almost shyly, pecked Kakashi on the cheek above the mask. "Thank you," he told the ANBU. "You have something good in your heart, too." Kakashi blinked. Had Obito left him something? Something more than his eye? Strange, strange child... what could that mean?

Kakashi stood, lifting Iruka with him. The boy blushed profusely, so Kakashi put him down, despite the irrational desire to hold him forever. 

Weeks passed. Eat. Drink. Read. Play with ninken. Read. Interact with Kakashi. Sun rises, Moon falls. The clocks tick away.


	2. As he grows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iruka's life goes on... and always, Kakashi is there.

Three weeks later, Tsunade declared Iruka fit to live on his own again. He left with a wan smile and a quick hug when no one was looking. Kakashi returned it, running his fingers through long brown hair, and watched him walk away. Iruka was given an apartment, and he began to meet with the Hokage weekly. They drank tea, talked about nothing, and Iruka learned gradually how to play shogi. The Sandaime was a patient teacher, it turned out, and he was a quick learner. Slowly, he became friends with the other students in the Academy. Some of them even congratulated him when they graduated! It was a nice feeling, being accepted.

Two other students got to know him quite well: Mitarashi Anko and Izume Mizuki; Iruka's genin team. They were total opposites. Anko was wild and rambunctious where Mizuki was quiet and soft-spoken, though a little opinionated at times. Iruka grew to love them like family, despite being so far behind them. That feeling changed, though, a few weeks before the chuunin exams.

"Iruka?" It was Mizuki. "I have something to tell you." Iruka turned, giving his teammate his full attention.

"What's wrong?" He asked. Mizuki shook his head.

"I... I love you, Iruka!" He said, eyes squeezed shut. "I'm in love with you! I want you like I've never wanted anyone! Be my boyfriend, please, you belong with me, I know it!"

Iruka blinked. He was certainly no expert on matters of the heart, but he'd thought... "Aren't boys supposed to like... girls...?" He asked timidly.

Mizuki's face twisted into a hurt expression. "It doesn't matter, 'Ru, you can like anyone!" He frowned. "Besides, don't be a hypocrite!"

"Eh!?" Iruka jerked back indignantly. 

"C'mon," said his teammate. "Everybody knows about you and Kakashi-san that time when you--urk!" He never finished the sentence, because a woman Iruka didn't recognize swung down out of nowhere and slammed a foot into his chest, sending him almost 50 feet back into the woods. 

"Someone's needed to do that for a good while now," she said. Iruka studied her. She couldn't have been more than 20, raven-haired and pale-skinned, hip cocked and arms crossed. Beautiful red eyes scanned over him. "You're Umino Iruka, right?" She asked.

"Uh... yeah," said the teenager, crossing his own arms defensively. The woman rolled her eyes. 

"Relax," she said. "I'm Yuuhi Kurenai, friend of Kakashi's. I was headed out on an S-rank--" here, her chest puffed and Iruka thought it must be her first or second one"--and Kakashi-san asked me to check up on you on my way to the gate. You all good if I go?" 

Iruka nodded, smiling. "Thank you, Kurenai-san," he said. She grinned and jumped up into the foliage. Iruka heard a groan and left before Mizuki got to him again. 

As time went on, Iruka trained with his team. If one failed, all failed. He knew he was holding them back, so after training one day, he went up to his jonin sensei to ask for help.

"Kaito-sensei?" He called. The strange, blue-haired man looked down, silver eyes finding Iruka.

"Iruka," he greeted. "What is it?" The 15 year old bit his lip.

"Um, er..." he wasn't quite sure how he wanted to phrase it. "Can... can you help me catch up to the others?" Kaito-sensei blinked. He hummed thoughtfully.

"I suppose I could set you up with a tutor of sorts," he said. "Why?"

Iruka let out a huff of air. "Because," he said. "I know I'm the reason we keep failing the exams. I don't want to be a liability anymore."

Kaito smiled. "I'm proud of how far you've come, Iruka," he said. "I'll see what I can do for you, okay?" Iruka nodded. The next day after training, he met with Kaito-sensei in the forest.

"Iruka," greeted his teacher. "This is your tutor. His name is--"

"Kakashi!" Iruka squeaked in surprise. The Anbu smiled under his mask, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Maa, it's good to see you again, Iruka," he said warmly.

Kaito blinked. "You KNOW each other?" He asked. Both nodded. Kakashi opened his arms. Despite his dignity, Iruka succumbed to the warm hug. His sensei chuckled.

"Well, good to know," he said. "He'll help you get better in some areas and realize where your strengths are. Check in every week, okay?" Iruka nodded. Kaito waved and left.

Kakashi assessed his musculature and hummed. "Can you do something for me?" He asked. "I want you to run to me." Iruka cocked his head. "I'll be at the end of the training field in 14 seconds. Run to me, as fast as you can." With that, he disappeared. A moment later, "GO!" echoed through the trees. Iruka took off running.

"And... wow," Kakashi said as he skidded to a halt. "Full run to standstill in less than two seconds, and it only took you 9 to get here. Do you know what that means?" Iruka shook his head, not even breathing hard. "I got here in 10 seconds," said the ANBU. "That means you're even faster than me, sweetheart. Your biggest strength is your speed. Use it wherever you can." Iruka beamed.

The days passed. Train. Go to Kakashi. Train one-on-one. Eat. Sleep. Train. Sun rises, Moon falls. 18 weeks later, Kakashi was waiting in the forest.

"Kakashi-san," Iruka greeted happily. "What are we doing today?"

Kakashi chuckled. "Nothing."

Iruka cocked his head. "Eh?"

Kakashi smiled under the mask. "You've learned everything I can teach you; I daresay you'd pass the ANBU exam, if only just." He playfully tugged the brown ponytail. Iruka frowned, slapping his hand away.

"You really think so?" He asked.

"Yeah," replied Kakashi. "I have to go on a five week mission anyways." Iruka didn't think; he just launched himself at the older teen. Kakashi caught him easily. They stood together for a minute. A bird called and Kakashi looked up at the sky. Starlight.

"I have to go," he said, and took off, landing on a branch.

"Kakashi!" Iruka called after him, and the boy came back to the ground. "Goodbye," he said softly. Kakashi cupped his jaw, leaving a gentle kiss on his lips.

"Goodbye," he replied, and then he was gone.

Two months later, Iruka became a chuunin. He faced off against a boy named Izumo, who laughed and congratulated him warmly on the victory. Everyone who watched was shocked speechless by Iruka's performance. No one even saw him move; that was how fast he had become.

Kakashi had been invited to attend, and he stood there wide-eyed as Iruka faced off against the other boy. Poor Izumo never stood a chance. Iruka was dancing circles around him, ducking and weaving a complex pattern. Izumo managed to graze him with one kunai, and Iruka's luminous brown eyes narrowed fiercely. Kakashi's heart stuttered. 

In a movement so quick the jonin barely followed it even with the Sharingan, Iruka pounced. Literally pounced, leaping onto a wall and running three steps before launching himself at Izumo's back. He looked like a lion, powerful and radiant in the noon light. To his credit, Izumo went with the blow and rolled. Somehow, Iruka kept his grip and came up intact, kicking out his opponent's knees and putting him on the ground, kunai at his throat. The arena held its breath. Izumo raised a hand.

"Erm..." he coughed. "This seems like a good time to forfeit." There was a massive cheer as Iruka rose, offering Izumo a hand. The boy slapped him a high-five with a grin before they ran back to their respective teammates. Anko jumped up and down in excitement and hugged Iruka tightly. 

"You did it, 'Ru!" She squealed happily. Mizuki didn't say a word. No, he hauled Iruka in and kissed him forcefully.

In the corner, Kakashi stiffened and made to leave. Before he did, he caught a last glance of Iruka shyly pulling the other back in, landing a soft kiss on his lips. With a snarl so soft no one heard, Kakashi stalked silently out of the arena.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bear with me, bear with me; it WILL get better, I promise! This IS Kakairu, I swear it! Sincerely,   
~Fox.


	3. Free yourself!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iruka thinks his life is perfect... until a certain someone steps in and flips it upside down. Oh, and another someone has to let him know that maybe he's looking through rose-tinted glasses.

It had been nine years since Iruka became a chuunin. He was the most respected teacher at the Academy, he had good friends at work, and he was officially dating Mizuki. There was no announcement, no paperwork, but Mizuki made it abundantly clear that Iruka was his and his alone, thank-you-very-much. At 23, almost 24, Iruka was more than happy. 

He was also woefully unprepared for the bomb that was dropped on him by the village leader. 

"SANDAIME," he bellowed, storming into the Hokage's office. The Hokage looked up, unimpressed.

"Yes, Iruka-san?" He said calmly. Iruka's anger didn't lessen.

"You put the DEMON in MY class!?" He cried.

"The Uzumaki? I did," said the Hokage.

"Why!?" The Sandaime frowned disapprovingly at him.

"Because," he said, "he needs a role model, and you are without a doubt the best teacher in the Academy."

Iruka felt his cheeks flare. "But he's--"

"I know very well what he is," interrupted the Hokage firmly. "Now you will stop this foolish argument and get out of my office, or else sit and have tea like a civil human being. Understood?"

Iruka smoothed his face, leaving a mask of ice. "Understood, Hokage-sama," he said stiffly, and turned on his heel. The old man's disappointed sigh echoed through the room at his back. He didn't care.

Uzumaki Naruto turned out to be a terror and a half, wild and destructive and horribly cheerful. Iruka could barely keep himself from scowling at the kid all the time. He picked fights with Uchiha Sasuke, pursued a clearly uninterested Sakura, and drove every teacher up the wall. He was insufferable! Iruka was seriously contemplating demanding that the Hokage take the little monster out of his class.

He was sitting by the window, watching his students run outside. They seemed happy enough, playing with their friends and eating their--wait a minute. Who was that little silhouette, sitting all alone on the swing with no lunch or friends to be seen? Iruka frowned, grabbed his lunch, and went outside. He stopped dead as he approached the swing. It was Naruto. But he didn't seem cheerful at all, or angry, and he wasn't picking any fights. He was just... sitting there. With a sickening jolt, Iruka realized he could see the boy's spine.

He was starving.

For just a moment, Iruka was transported back to those days after the Kyuubi attack, 12 years ago. He'd been in the same position, starving and lonely... and this boy was the only reason he'd stayed alive long enough for Kakashi to find him. In a way, Iruka owed Naruto his life. Maybe it was time he return the favor.

"Hey," he said, sitting down next to Naruto on the ground. The kid tensed and looked at him with guarded eyes.

"Hi," he said. "I didn't do it."

Iruka raised a brow. "Didn't do what?"

Naruto shrugged. "Whatever you're thinking of. I didn't do anything." Iruka smiled sadly. He had definitely neglected this boy. Hopefully, Naruto could forgive him.

"I didn't think you did," he said, casually breaking two pairs of chopsticks. "But I packed too much food for just me, so I thought you might want to share with me." Naruto looked longingly at the bento box.

"Really?" He said hopefully. "Yeah," said Iruka, holding out one pair of chopsticks. "Come on, I made it myself last night." Naruto slipped off the swing and sat down across from Iruka, accepting the chopsticks. Iruka engaged him in pleasant conversation, trying to hide the fact that Naruto was getting two thirds of the food, if not more. He discovered that the little boy was worlds away from the demon fox trapped inside him, and that he had dreams to become Hokage and protect the village. He learned that Naruto was incredibly passionate, that he HATED Sasuke and LOVED Sakura and Hyuuga Hinata was really his only friend, but the other girls didn't like her going near him. He learned that Naruto lived alone, that his housing was paid for by the state, but he didn't get food money. He learned Naruto picked up small jobs where he could, that he went hungry most nights and some days and that he had a deep love for ramen, despite never having tried the good kind. Iruka found himself laughing with this eccentric little kid, wondering why on earth he'd ever thought of him as a monster. He was just like Iruka had been; only, unlike Iruka, he hadn't had a rescuer like Kakashi, or a lover like Mizuki.

Iruka went home having promised Naruto real ramen from Ichiraku's, a smile on his face. Mizuki greeted him at the door.

"We're out of milk," he said. "Where've you been?"

Iruka beamed at him. "Took a longer lunch break in order to talk with Uzumaki Naruto," he said.

Mizuki lifted an eyebrow. "Oh?" He said. "You finally kicked the little monster out of your class, hm?" Iruka shook his head, ponytail whipping from side to side.

"Nope! I noticed him sitting all alone and went to go spend some time with him. He wants to be Hokage; it turns out he's a wonderful kid who doesn't get enough positive attention. He's just a lonely, underfed little boy. Like I was, once."

Mizuki's lip curled slightly. "Well, yes," he said, "but you never housed a demon. I'm glad you can rise above your emotions, it's a good skill, but that creature killed your whole family. Don't waste your love on something like that; there's no place for it in the empty space where his heart should be." He stepped forward. "I'm not totally sure I like you going outside at lunch," he murmured, wrapping his arms a little too tightly around Iruka's waist. "It sounds kinda dangerous, don't you think?"

Iruka wavered. "Well, no, not really. There are tons of other people there, and it's safer than teaching them to throw kunai. Hey, too tight, that hurts."

Mizuki loosened his grip. "Sorry, 'Ru," he said. "You know I worry about you, right?" Iruka nodded.

"I think you worry a little too much, honestly," he sighed. Mizuki's eyes narrowed.

"There's no such thing," he snapped, causing Iruka to flinch back. "Not when it comes to you." He raised a hand and Iruka shielded himself instinctively, but then he seemed to catch himself. "Sorry," he said, voice silky smooth. "Promised you I'd work on that, didn't I?" Iruka nodded.

"It's alright," he said. "I know you don't mean it." Mizuki nodded, but he seemed distracted. After a moment, his eyes focused back on Iruka.

"We're out of milk," he said. "Are you going to go get some more, or are you going to make me do it? Your choice." Iruka grimaced. Class had run long today, and he was rather tired. Still, Mizuki was probably tired, too. Besides, it wasn't that far to the market; only a couple miles. So Iruka shrugged and grabbed his wallet, opening the door and ignoring the smack of Mizuki's hand on his backside as he walked out. Sometimes, the man was just a bit too possessive.

Iruka was running home from the market via the rooftops, milk in hand. A shadow appeared in the way. Iruka jumped with a yelp, twisting to avoid it. He managed, but dropped the milk in the process. It broke, splatteeing on the ground.

"Oh, no!" Iruka landed lightly beside it, crouching to pick up the container. It had completely exploded. "Mizuki's going to KILL me," he muttered. "That was the last of my pocket money." The shadow landed beside him. Iruka looked up, ready to yell at the nin, then froze. Kakashi. Angry Kakashi. FUMING Kakashi. Iruka cocked his head. "I'm not going to apologize, Kakashi-san," he said. "You jumped into my path." The Copy-Nin shook his head wordlessly and grabbed Iruka's wrist, ignoring the flinch, pulling him into an alley.

"How long?" he hissed once they were hidden from the street.

"Huh?" Iruka tilted his head in confusion. Kakashi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "How long what?" asked the teacher.

"How long," Kakashi said, tone measured, "has he been making you pay for groceries out of your pocket money? How long has he been touching you in degrading ways?" He grabbed Iruka's wrist again, narrowing his eyes at the flinch the action provoked. "How long has he been HITTING you?"

Iruka paled, stumbling back, but Kakashi pinned him to the wall. Iruka closed his eyes, bracing himself for a blow that never came. He opened his eyes. There was such pain on Kakashi's face, even in that one eye, and now Iruka realized what he'd been forcing himself not to see all these years.

"Mizuki... he's abusive, isn't he." It wasn't a question, but Kakashi answered anyway.

"_Yes_, Iruka." The Umino sagged against the wall, and Kakashi stepped closer, wrapping his arms around the man gently. Iruka took a moment to wonder where the shy, socially awkward ANBU from all those years ago had gone, and then he buried his face in Kakashi's shoulder and sighed.

"This has to stop," he whispered. "I'm tired of hurting." Kakashi nodded, rubbing circles into his back.

"Come on," he said. "You need to end it. Right now." Iruka swallowed and stepped back. He leapt to the rooftops and made for the apartment he shared with his lover. When he arrived, he knocked on the door.

"Mizuki," he called, "come here." No one answered. "Mizuki, I'm not coming in, so... so come out here, please." The door opened to reveal Mizuki, dressed in only pants, licking his lips at the sight of Iruka shivering in the evening breeze.

"What's wrong, love?" He purred, voice as smooth as ever. "Come inside, we can talk." Iruka shook his head.

"No," he said. "I don't want you to hurt me anymore. I know what happens if I go inside with you. You'll tell me it's okay, make me feel safe, and then use me like you always do. I'm done. I'm so tired of this, it isn't how I want to live!"

Mizuki's eyes had narrowed dangerously. "We don't always get what we want, Iruka," he said. "Come in, let's talk and work out some sort of compromise. I wasn't aware that I was hurting you in any way." He reached out, but Iruka moved back.

"Yes, you are," he insisted. "Because you get off on it. You told me so yourself. I'm DONE, Mizuki. WE'RE done. I'm leaving. Don't follow me." He turned to walk away, but something grabbed at his shirt collar.

"You're not serious," Mizuki growled. "You're coming back inside, and I'm going to fuck you so hard you won't walk for a WEEK. Sound good, love?" Iruka yelped when Mizuki yanked his collar. He was about to turn and punch the man when the grip vanished. Only ninja reflexes kept Iruka on his feet as he stumbled away. A scream of pain brought him back to himself and he turned to see Mizuki holding his arm, which was bent at an odd angle, and glaring at something to the right. Iruka followed his gaze to Kakashi.

Murderous intent rolled off the Copy-nin in waves and Mizuki stepped back, turning his glare on Iruka.

"Fine," he spat. "Run away with him. Slut. I never loved you, really. Get out of my sight, dirty little whore!" Kakashi backhanded him across the face, sending him reeling back into the apartment. Iruka hadn't even seen him move. Mizuki snarled and shut the door. Iruka turned to Kakashi, just a little bit of fear showing in his eyes.

"Now what?" He asked. The rage faded from Kakashi's posture and he shrugged.

"You could stay with me, if you want," he said. "Or Kurenai would take you, or Asuma, or your other teammate, Anko."

Iruka frowned. "All jonin," he noted. "Let me check in with Anko; she should be the first to know. She told me not to date him." Kakashi nodded.

Iruka led the way to his old friend's house and knocked on the door. It opened a second later.

"What the hell do you--IRUKA!!!" She leapt at the chunin, smothering him in a hug that nearly knocked him over. Iruka smiled.

"Hi, Anko," he greeted. "Can I come in?" The grin fell from her face and she squinted at him.

"What did he do to you?" She hissed. Iruka chuckled, looking back at Kakashi.

"You two are the same person," he said amusedly. Anko pulled him inside.

"I've got him from here," she told the Copy-nin. "Go home." Kakashi gave her a curt nod and leapt out into the darkness, sending Iruka a last gentle look.

Anko shut the door and led Iruka to a low couch, where she pushed him down and went to make tea. Iruka was grateful for the quiet; it gave him a chance to organize his thoughts. The jonin handed him a steaming cup and sat down across from him.

"Alright," she said. "Tell me what the hell happened." Iruka took a deep shaky breath.

"I left him," he said. "He hit me, hurt me, and I left him." Anko's lovely hazel eyes widened.

"Tell me everything," she ordered.

Iruka ended up spending the night, getting up early to go into work. Where Mizuki was TOC-ing. Iruka swallowed as he walked into his classroom. His students were more on edge than usual; Kiba tried to tackle Shikamaru, who pinned him in an instant: such an un-Shikamaru-esque thing to do that Iruka called them out perhaps more harshly than was strictly necessary. Naruto sat quietly at the back, shoulders hunched, just watching. Ino and Sakura were at each others throats all day, and even sweet, shy little Hinata lost it, screaming at Shino for being too annoying and pouty. Shino was weird in his own right, but today he was jumpy and paranoid. Choji didn't eat a single chip, complaining of a stomachache, and Sasuke glowered in the corner at anyone in the class who dared look his way. Eventually, Naruto went to sit near him. They didn't speak, but Iruka noticed that after an hour, Sasuke's heated glares had cooled into annoyed frowns. Such a strange effect on others, that boy had.

Finally, the day ended and every student rushed out the door. Iruka shut it and collapsed at his desk with a broken sigh. Someone cleared their throat. Iruka shot straight up, forcing a smile as he met the blue, blue eyes of his most interesting student. Naruto cocked his head.

"Iruka-sensei, what's wrong?" Iruka gave him a funny look.

"What do you mean?" He asked. "Nothing's wrong."

Naruto frowned. "Yeah, right. We all felt it, didn't you notice?" Iruka hummed. Such perceptive children! They reacted to his emotions without even knowing it!

"I'm alright, Naruto," he promised with a small smile.

"Now, how about we go get that ramen I promised you?" Naruto lit up instantly.

"Yeah, sure!" He exclaimed eagerly. Then the door opened. It was Mizuki. He smiled warmly at Naruto, who went silent, sensing Iruka's sudden stiffness. Backing slowly towards his sensei, he glared. Mizuki just smiled again.

"Naruto, why don't you run ahead and wait for him there? We need to talk. Don't worry, we'll be quick." Naruto, bless him, shook his head violently.

"No way!" He said. "If I leave, you can do bad things to Iruka-sensei! We know what you do. Sakura and Sasuke BOTH saw you hit him in the hallway once! And he comes in bruised or limping all the time! I'm not gonna let you hurt him again. Go away!" Iruka felt tears threaten his eyes. How had he ever thought this child was evil?

A slow clapping began from the door. "Well said, Naruto," said a bored, familiar voice. Then, "Well?" Kakashi was looking at Mizuki. "You'd better get going. I can do much worse than break your arm, you know that." Mizuki glared furiously between the two of them, then stalked out of the room. The three remaining occupants relaxed.

Naruto looked up at Iruka. "Can we go get ramen now, Iruka-sensei?" Iruka smiled.

"Of course, Naruto-kun," he said fondly, ruffling the boy's hair. Kakashi broke in.

"It's on me," he said with a one-eyed smile. Iruka laughed.

"You're like a puppy!" He exclaimed. Naruto gasped in shock. Iruka blushed, but Kakashi chuckled.

"What?" He said, shrugging. "I like hanging around you. You're familiar."

Iruka grinned. "Well, you've known me since I was 12," he pointed out. "If I wasn't familiar, we'd have a problem." Kakashi shook his head.

"Come on," he said warmly. Iruka laughed.

It had been 4 months since the Mizuki fiasco, and life was alright for Iruka. Not luxurious by any stretch, but he had an apartment that was always stocked with food, a good relationship with Naruto, and a strong friendship with Kakashi.

Naturally, things had to go wrong, and quite badly, at that. Iruka had no idea what happened. One minute, he was running through the woods, looking for Naruto, and the next, Mizuki was standing there, screaming at the two of them.

"I'm going to kill you slowly and painfully," he promised, "for the humiliation you put me through. You too, you nine-tailed monster! You're an evil brat, I knew that, but really? Try to become Hokage? No one was going to let that happen, I just have the guts to stop you myself! And YOU!" He turned back to Iruka. "Everyone treats you like a saint, now, don't they? Don't they? Do they know how much of a bitch you are? Do they know how you shelter and nurture demons? DO THEY KNOW YOU LOVE THE MONSTER THAT KILLED YOUR FAMILY!?" Green eyes blazed with hate, and his arm drew back to summon something. Before Iruka could think to block, the Fuma Shuriken was hurtling towards them.

"GET DOWN!" Without thinking, he threw himself over Naruto's body. The weapon struck him hard in the back and he coughed, blood flying from his mouth at the impact. Naruto yelled in horror underneath him. He didn't hear what was said. For a moment, he was back to being that sad, scrawny kid, abandoned in the rain with a broken arm and the only thing he could do was protect. This. Child. And he was damned if he was gonna stop now.

"Why!?" Naruto gasped. Iruka looked down at him. "Because we're the same," he said. "After I lost my parents, everyone shunned me, looked down on me. I became a class clown to get people to notice me. I was a troublemaker... and then I had to pay for it. It was hard." He felt tears running down his cheeks. "I know that's how you feel. I know it must hurt. I could have been there for you, to help you. But I wasn't. I failed you, Naruto. I'm sorry."

"But- but why?" Naruto whimpered, shocked. Iruka smiled grimly, remembering a day where he felt the same way, when three words explained everything.

"Because," he said hoarsely, "you're important." Mizuki laughed behind him.

"Don't make me laugh!" He said needlessly. Naruto bolted out from under his sensei and took off behind a tree.

(A/N: I actually had to get my sister to find me this episode.)

A hectic game of chase began. Iruka tore the shuriken out of his back and followed. He henged into Naruto and saw... himself...? In a tree. So, he crashed into Mizuki, sending him flying.

Mizuki growled. "How did you know it was me," he said, henging back into himself, "and not Iruka?" Iruka chuckled, releasing his own jutsu.

"Because I'm Iruka," he said.

"He just wants the scroll for his own power, his own vengeance!" Mizuki snarled. "He's just like ME. That's the way beasts are! You'd know firsthand what we're like, wouldn't you, love?" The word was a sneer, twisted and cruel. Iruka smiled.

"You're right," he said, and heard a pained gasp from behind a tree as Naruto heard him say it. "That IS the way beasts are. But Naruto isn't like that!" He sat up, forcing his will at Mizuki and Naruto both, so that they would know he spoke true. "He's honest and hardworking. Yeah, sometimes he messes up, and others jump on him. But his suffering only makes him stronger. He's not a beast, OR a demon. He is Naruto Uzumaki, ninja of the Hidden Leaf!"

Mizuki seemed stunned for a moment. Then, he growled.

"I was going to drag this out... but I changed my mind. YOU'RE FINISHED!" He roared, spinning his second shuriken and launching it at Iruka. The teacher had half a second to think, 'So this is how it ends,' before an angry orange blur flew in front of him, knocking the shuriken out of the way.

Naruto!

He was furious, protective and stronger than Iruka had ever seen.

"If you ever lay a hand on my Sensei," he growled low in his throat, "I'LL KILL YOU!" Mizuki looked startled, but he rallied quickly.

"What are you going to do, nine-tailed brat!?" He taunted.

"SHADOW-CLONE JUTSU!" Cried the Uzumaki. Iruka watched in wonder as the hundreds of copies appeared.

'Those aren't illusions,' he realized. 'They're solid clones, all of them!' Naruto yelled, and Mizuki echoed. Iruka honestly didn't remember much of the battle, not until the others showed up to fight. But... they were aiming for Naruto!

"NO!" Iruka cried with the last of his strength. "Naruto... it's... it's Mizuki! It's Mizuki, not Naruto!" The others heard him, bless them, and the tide of battle turned. Then someone landed beside him.

"Well," said a familiar voice. "Fancy seeing you here." Iruka looked up to meet one worried, coal-black eye. "You don't look so good," said Kakashi. Iruka grimaced.

"I can't feel my legs," he admitted. "Took a Fuma Shuriken to the back." Kakashi winced.

"Kunai to the leg, too," he noted.

"Several kunai," Iruka groaned, "in various locations. Leg and shoulder hits definitely poisoned. The rest, I can't tell." Kakashi grimaced in sympathy.

"Come on," he said, lifting Iruka in his arms. "It's unlikely that only two of his weapons were poisoned." He took off, holding Iruka close, and Iruka was a boy again, relief and apprehension flowing through him as Kakashi carried him to safety. He sighed and huddled into the older man's chest. Kakashi looked down.

"I'm so proud of you," he whispered, and Iruka passed out.

===============================

He woke later, in a white bed in a white room, with someone in a mask sitting beside him, reading an obnoxiously orange-covered book. He felt a weary smile spread across his face.

"ANBU-san?" He said in a wary voice. Kakashi's head snapped up.

"You're awake," he said, and placed a hand on Iruka's forehead. "That's good." Iruka smiled again, meeting Kakashi's eye. It was warm, almost tender, as he gazed down. Then Iruka remembered how he'd gotten where he was.

"Naruto!" He gasped. "Mizuki--is he--"

"Naruto's alright, Sensei," Kakashi assured him. "He was braver than all the others combined. As for Mizuki... I'm sorry, Iruka." A shadow of sadness passed over his visible face. Iruka sank back in shock. He hadn't expected Mizuki to escape, but... dead?

"Was it Naruto?" He asked, hoping desperately that it wasn't. Kakashi shook his head.

"No," he said. "Actually, it was Anko who gave the killing blow." Iruka nodded. It made sense, really. She had always been protective of Iruka, and Mizuki had never treated him well. He was grateful that Naruto wouldn't have to take the heat of murder, at least.

"Hey, Kakashi-san," he said quietly.

"Mm?"

Iruka scratched his scar, a nervous habit he'd picked up over the years. "Would... would you stay with me?" He asked. "At my place, just for a little while. Please?" He looked up hopefully. Kakashi blinked.

"Well," he said slowly, "I suppose I could, but..." Iruka blushed.

"I-It's fine, you don't have t--"

"I rather thought you'd like to come back to the Hatake house for a bit. It's been 12 years since you came to visit, don't you think it's time you came back? The library certainly misses you." Iruka's shyness worsened tenfold.

"I... I-I'd love that," he said quietly. Kakashi smiled under his mask and leaned over, kissing Iruka's forehead lightly through said mask. The teacher clapped a hand over his lower face to hide the raging blush, wishing for his own mask, eyes wide with shock. Kakashi chuckled. "All these years," he mused, "and you're still the little kid you were then." He ran a hand through Iruka's loose brown hair. "So pretty," he sighed. "You want me to put this up for you before Naruto gets here?" Iruka managed to stifle his embarrassment long enough to nod. Kakashi thought he was... PRETTY!? WHAT!? The jonin tied his hair up, humming.

"It's even longer now," he murmured, running his fingers through a strand before tucking it behind his ear. "I remember when it just barely reached your chin." He finished the ponytail, pulling it tight. "It suits you better this way," he said.

Iruka hummed shakily.

"Maa, Sensei?" Kakashi called. "Are you alright? Should I call someone?"

Iruka shook his head and tugged Kakashi down onto the bed. Moving slowly, he laid his head on the man's shoulder, nuzzling against his neck. Kakashi wrapped his arms around the teacher, holding him tightly, and Iruka pulled his legs in, curling up almost on the jonin's lap. Kakashi rested his cheek against the brown hair.

"I'm proud of you," he murmured, "for what you did. I'm glad I picked you up way back then. You've done some good things." Iruka hummed contentedly, but didn't answer. They stayed that way for a while, happy in the moment and entirely content with each other's presence.

Then a terrified blond blur raced in, ending said moment.


	4. Home Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iruka comes back... and Kakashi, being himself, finds a way to screw things up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please bear with me. I know it's long, but I spent 6 months on this story and I'll be damned if I don't finish it this time. Thank you to those who've stuck with it!

"IRUKA-SENSEI," cried Naruto, racing to the bed. Sakura followed behind him, jerking to a halt when she saw the two ninja on the bed.

"Narutoooo!" She griped, grabbing his collar before he could jump on his teacher, but even she couldn't keep the relief and worry from her eyes. Iruka laughed, disentangling himself from Kakashi.

"Come here, you two," he said warmly, opening his arms. Naruto broke free of his classmate's grip and raced into the embrace. A moment later, Sakura joined him, though she was a little more gentle with her injured sensei.

When Iruka finally let them go, he found tears in everyone's eyes and smiled. Then Naruto started talking.

"Ne, wasn't that the guy you were going out with, Iruka-Sensei?" He asked. Iruka's smile froze. Sakura clonked her classmate on the back of the head.

"Owww! Sakura-chan! What was THAT for!?" Iruka winced at the volume.

"Don't be so insensitive!" She hissed at him. Naruto cowered.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan," he said sheepishly.

"I've known Mizuki for a very long time," Iruka said. "I knew he was capable of... less than wonderful things, but I never thought he was capable of something like this." Naruto nodded almost thoughtfully. Then, sweetly, he smiled.

"So," he said, his voice dangerously casual, "you're dating this guy now?" Iruka blushed hard. He covered it up by looming over Naruto.

"DON'T PRY INTO OTHERS' PERSONAL LIVES!" He bellowed. Umino Iruka was known for his fearsome bellow. Naruto was dragged bodily out of the room by a profusely apologizing Sakura. As the door shut, a pair of strong arms wrapped around Iruka from behind.

"C'mon," Kakashi said into his ear. "They discharged you." Iruka blinked. He hadn't seen Kakashi leave. He must have teleported. Just as he thought this, a cloud of dust and leaves flew up around him. When it cleared, he found himself standing in a house he had never thought he'd see again. Somehow, it was all achingly familiar.

Iruka smiled and followed Kakashi to his old room. The futon wasn't there. He frowned, confused. Kakashi saw the look.

"I'd like for you to stay in my room," he said. "If I remember correctly--and I do--you have some pretty violent nightmares and a tendency to move around in your sleep. I just want to make sure you don't tear open your injury again. Okay?" Iruka nodded, surprised that his friend had remembered his sleeping habits through all these years.

"Okay," he said, feeling every inch like the little boy he'd been 12 years ago. Kakashi leaned in and ruffled his hair.

"I'm going to go make dinner," he said. "Make yourself at home." Iruka grinned. He still had one on the Copy-Nin, if he remembered correctly. Reaching up, he winced at the stretch and gave Kakashi the best puppy dog eyes he could muster.

"Can you help me with my hair?" He asked. Kakashi blinked a few times.

"Yeah," he said. "Definitely." He pulled out the ponytail, and Iruka felt his eyes wandering over the loose strands. "Want it braided, like back then?" The man's voice was quiet.

"Yes please," said Iruka sweetly. Yep, the infamous Sharingan Kakashi had a weakness for Iruka's hair in a French braid... especially a loose one. When it was done, Iruka pretended certain parts were too tight and plucked out a few strands of hair, creating a pretty windblown effect. Kakashi visibly swallowed.

"Well played," he muttered. Before Iruka could ask what he meant, Kakashi had pulled the mask off and hung it on a nearby hook. The blush nearly killed his guest, and Iruka turned away to stem the nosebleed. Kakashi chuckled, leaning in to kiss Iruka's forehead again.

"You're so sweet," he said fondly, and went into the kitchen. Iruka stumbled into the guest room and flopped onto the bed. What was going on? Was all this a jonin eccentricity? Or was Kakashi being overly affectionate because he... LIKED... Iruka? The teacher didn't know. A voice came from the door.

"Can I come in?" Iruka tried to sit up.

"Yes--AH!" As he turned, he felt his back stretch and tear. He fell back to his stomach, trying not to throw up.

Kakashi entered the room quickly, setting down the tray and opening a drawer. He sat down beside Iruka and gently starting rubbing circles into the damaged muscles. His hands were cold and soothing, and some sort of cream numbed all feeling in Iruka's back. By the time Kakashi was finished, Iruka had completely relaxed, feeling like a sated lion sprawled across the futon.

Kakashi sighed. "Feel better?" He asked. Iruka nodded.

"Much," he said. "Thank you. What was that?" Kakashi snickered.

"Lube," he said casually.

"WHAT!?" Iruka whipped his head around to look Kakashi in the eye.

Kakashi stopped laughing, just staring at him. To Iruka's shock, he pulled up the hitai-ate to expose his Sharingan and trained it on the chunin.

"What are you doing?" Iruka asked breathlessly.

"You're the type of person that gets really pretty when you get angry," explained the Copy-nin. "Your face gets all flushed, your eyes start sparking, your hair... well, it looks good like that. You're just... beautiful." Iruka blinked twice, then glared.

"And the lube?" He asked in a deceptively calm voice.

Kakashi laughed. "It's a special type of oil that's designed to heal any injury the moment it's inflicted. So, as it's meant for... ah, well, less than decent activities, it's not strong enough to HEAL you, but it'll certainly make you less sore."

Iruka groaned. "You healed me with a SEX TOOL," he muttered sullenly. Kakashi snorted.

"Now, Sensei," he said, "you've been a prude your whole life, but tools? Just say toy, or instrument if you want. Live a little." Iruka blushed. The jonin cocked his head.

"You've been doing that a lot lately," he said. "Are you overheated or something? Turned on?" The teacher turned his gaze on Kakashi and glared.

Izumo liked to say that Iruka had a glare that would "Drop the devil to his knees, begging for mercy." Iruka had never believed that, but now he saw Kakashi shiver, and that meant more than any terrified child. He smirked. "Hit me, Sensei," teased the Copy-nin. "C'mon, I'm trying to lift your mood." He held up a tray of food. "Dinner?" Iruka's annoyance dissipated instantly.

"Please," he said. Kakashi helped him sit up and handed him the tray. Iruka ate about half the food.

"Maa, finish it, Iruka," said the jonin. "I let it go while you were adjusting to food, but now it's just stubborness." Iruka sighed and finished the food.

"Thank you," he said with a smile.

"My pleasure," said Kakashi. "Get some sleep. I'll be in soon." Iruka nodded.

Kakshi returned not long after, book in hand. "Hey, honey," he said jokingly, sliding into his side. Iruka grunted unintelligibly. A moment later, he felt fingers running over his hair, not messing up the French braid. A soft humming started from Kakashi's side of the bed. It was a old Russian lullaby that Iruka remembered Kakashi singing after his nightmares when he was young.

"I remember that song," he murmured. Kakashi's humming paused.

"You do?" He asked, surprised.

"Mm..." Iruka listened as Kakashi kept humming until the song ended. A chuckle had him slanting one eye half open curiously. Kakashi was looking at him.

"You look like a cat," he explained. "Like you're about to start purring." Iruka frowned.

"Shut up!" He whined, prompting more laughter.

"Hey," Kakashi said, hands up defensively. "I'm not complaining!" This prompted a sort of awkward fight, which went on for hours. By the time they fell asleep, it must have been one in the morning.

Iruka woke alone. He listened hard. Noisy breathing from the end of the bed drew his attention. A painful attempt to turn brought him the sight of a massive dog curled up at the end of the bed. The movement gave him a rather uncomfortable realization: he needed to use the bathroom, quite badly, in fact. With some difficulty, he got to his feet without disturbing the nin-dog and made his way first to the bathroom, then the kitchen. On the fridge was a note:

"Iruka, I'm on a B-rank. Will be back before lunch. Left Bull to look after you. Eat something, drink water, rest, etc. Okay, see you soon, honey. ~Kakashi." Iruka put the note down, shaking his head. Why did the man insist on the affection? Ignoring the instruction to eat, Iruka got a glass of water and took it to the library. He liked reading. It was his favorite pasttime, especially when it rained. Which, he noted with some amusement, it was now. He picked a book and curled up in a soft armchair.

He'd been reading maybe an hour when a loud thump startled him, followed by, "Oh, no. If the boss finds out I lost him... I'll never find my skin!"

Iruka wondered for a moment what fresh hell Kakashi put his pups through, then called out, "I'm in here!" The huge dog lumbered into the room, tail wagging.

"Oh, hello," he said. "I'm Bull." Iruka smiled.

"I'm Iruka," he said. Bull nodded and walked around to check his back. Iruka leaned forward to make it easier. The dog hummed.

"Looks good," he said. "Boss' oil helped, I see?" Iruka stiffened.

"Yeah," he said. "Do you know what he uses it for?"

Bull sighed. "He doesn't, because he can't get laid, but it's SUPPOSED to be used for--"

"Actually," Iruka interrupted, "I don't think I want to know." Bull chuckled.

"Good choice." He looked outside. "The rain's stopped. Wanna go for a walk? There's a pond down the road. It's nice. Solitary." Iruka frowned.

"Will Kakashi be worried when we get back?" He asked. Bull snorted.

"Of course not," he said. On the way out the door, Bull's perpetually wagging tail knocked over a lamp and a vase. The lamp was fine, but the vase shattered on the hard floor.

"Bull!" Iruka exclaimed. "We have to clean this up!"

The dog shrugged. "Let's do it when we get back. Besides, he shouldn't be home until dinner."

Iruka frowned. "He said lunch."

Bull shrugged again. "Yeah, but Boss gets his wires crossed. Besides, you know his tendency to be on time." Iruka sighed. The man's internal clock WAS a little... skewed.

"Alright," he relented, and Bull's happy bark was enough to make him smile.

===============================

Iruka wasn't there. Kakashi got home and he knew before he entered, Iruka just... wasn't there. Throwing the door open, Kakashi stormed in. There was a lamp knocked over, a vase smashed on the floor, and the bedsheets were mussed, with a book lying abandoned on the chair. It didn't look like much of a struggle, and there was no blood, but Kakashi found his heart beating out of his chest. He turned quickly, about to race off and FIND him, god damn it, when the sound of laughter reached his sensitive ears. He knew that laugh.

A moment later, Iruka walked in the door, Bull on his heels. Both stopped dead when they saw Kakashi standing in the doorway. He pointed at Bull, barely contained fury dripping from his posture.

"Go home," he said. "I'll talk to you later." Bull obeyed.

"Don't hurt him any worse, Boss," he warned. "He might not recover." Kakashi didn't say a word. Iruka looked nervous now that they were alone.

"If it's about the vase," he said quietly, "I tried to clean it up, and the lamp, but I can't get down that far. I'm sorry, Bull accidentally hit them with his--"

"It's not the vase, Iruka," said Kakashi. "It's the fact that I came home and found something broken in the house, Bull missing, and you GONE." He took a deep, shaky breath and stepped closer. Iruka searched the mismatched eyes, completely open to the jonin's gaze.

"You were scared," he said softly. Kakashi blew out a huff of air.

"Of course I was scared, Iruka! Of COURSE. I. WAS. SCARED!" Iruka fell back, his back hitting the wall. The slight wince was enough to still Kakashi's anger, and relief came rushing in. Iruka was safe. The Copy-nin stepped forward and gently wrapped Iruka in his arms. The chunin went ramrod stiff, trembling in his embrace, and Kakashi realized exactly who he was acting like.

"Oh, Kami," he breathed, stepping back. "I'm so sorry, Iruka, I... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to--"

"No," Iruka said quietly. So quietly, in fact, that Kakashi had to lean in to hear him. Then the teacher's head snapped up so fast it should have given him whiplash, and his eyes burned with rage. Kakashi would rather have faced Hellfire. He stumbled back in surprise at the anger. When Iruka spoke, his voice shook with anger.

"He never meant it, either, Kakashi, that's why I stayed for so long. Because every time he hurt me, every time he yelled or cursed or blamed me, he apologized, and I forgave him. Do you understand that? Eh?" He didn't wait for Kakashi's response. "No. No, you can't, but I will NOT stand here and let you treat me the same way Mizuki did!" Those beautiful, beautiful eyes narrowed, blazing and expressive and so ANGRY, and he hissed the last words. "I'm going to stay with Anko. If you follow me, I WILL send the Hokage after you. Goodbye, Hatake-san." 


	5. Wait, please!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi goes after his soulmate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost there, dearhearts. So close.

_Goodbye, Hatake-san. _That title struck the Copy-nin hard in the chest. Ever since that day 12 years ago when he had told Iruka to use his name, he had been Kakashi-sensei, Kakashi-san, sometimes even Kakashi, but never Hatake. Iruka was denying that he even knew him. Kakashi felt a wave of lonliness wash over him.

"Go on," said Pakkun next to him. When had he summoned his dog? "Go after him!" Encouraged the pug. "If you let him get away now, you'll never get him back!" Kakashi trembled.

"What the hell do I say!?" He hissed.

Pakkun shrugged. "Hell if I know, you're the one who screwed everything up."

Without another word, Kakashi raced down the road to where Iruka was walking away, wiping tears away and muttering things like, "Stupid jonin," and generally looking miserable.

Without a word, the Copy-nin swooped down and lifted the chunin bridal style in his arms. Iruka yelped, automatically gripping Kakashi's vest for balance.

"Put me DOWN, Hatake!" Well, no more 'san.' Kakashi wasn't sure if that was good or bad. He carried Iruka to a location just outside the city, the old outskirts where the Kyubbi attack had done too much damage to repair. Gently, he placed the teacher down in front of an old wreckage.

"Do you recognize it?" He asked quietly.

Iruka shook his head. "I... no," he said.

Kakashi led him into a ruined portion of building, sat him down, and stood in front of him.

"Pretend it's-- oh, there we go." Rain dripped from the sky. First, barely a few drops. Then it began a steady trickle, and before long, it was pouring. Iruka gave a strangled gasp.

"This... this was where you found me," he realized. Kakashi nodded.

"Yes," he said. And the second I saw you, I knew you were the one person I had to protect more than any other shinobi or civilian in Konoha." Iruka met the mismatched gaze, drowning in the intensity of emotion there.

"Why?" He asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Because," Kakashi murmured, crouching down. "You're important."

Iruka's eyes filled with tears. "I only just realized I was hurting, Kakashi-san," he whispered. "I can't... I can't take it if you start hurting me too, because I'll never be able to say no to you." Kakashi felt his chest constrict painfully.

"I know," he murmured. "I would never, never want to hurt you, Iruka-Sensei." He took the man's hand, crouching down in front of him in the pouring rain. "You mean too much to the village." He took a deep breath, noticing the hint of hesitation at his words. Well, dammit, being straight with people was hard for him! "You mean too much to ME," he amended.

Iruka's eyes widened a little in shock. He'd said it! He'd actually kind of said it! For Kami's sake, what now!? So Iruka did the only thing his shellshocked body could come up with: he blushed. Again. Kakashi's smile was easy, but tense in the eyes. He was nervous. Iruka let himself lean forward, tucking his body against the jonin's and curling up into him. With a sigh, he whispered,

"You know, once, Naruto stuck gum in Sakura's hair." Kakashi laughed, startled.

"What?" He asked.

"Oh yeah," said Iruka. "Once I took him to the hospital wing, I had to calm his fuming victim before she killed him. I explained to her that sometimes, little boys are mean when they like someone." Kakashi chuckled. "And," Iruka said, stressing the word, "it has recently occured to me that not all little boys grow out of this."

The Copy-nin's face became solemn."That's no reason to--" Iruka cut him off.

"Okay, FIRST of all, you could have just asked me out like 12 years ago or any time in between. Second, try not to yell for a little while. Third, you're right, so all my students from now on are going to be taught quite firmly how one treats a potential love interest."

Kakashi snorted. "Good luck drilling that into the heads of 11 and 12 year old kids," he snickered. Iruka frowned, though it was more of a pout. The infamous jonin leaned close and pecked the chunin's nose through the mask. Iruka gave him a wide-eyed, blushy look.

"W-what--" he started, then stopped and took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts. When he looked back at the other man's face, it was bare. Iruka stared, wide-eyed, all the words he wanted gone from his mind. Kami, he was hot. Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck, grinning sheepishly.

"Well," he said, "wasn't exactly what I expected, but at least you're not running." Iruka looked away.

"Why do you keep kissing me?" He asked, so quietly even the Copy-nin had to strain to hear him.

"Maa, Sensei," he replied, a smile in his voice. "I would have thought you, of all people, would have figured it out by now." He leaned close, gently running his fingers through Iruka's hair where it fell from the ponytail. "So pretty..." he breathed, pulling a cough of surprise from the chunin, who pulled back and glared.

"If you're going to kiss me," he said, "it'd better be soon, and it'd better not be here. Okay?" Kakashi's stunned silence made the teacher grin.

"Yeah," Kakashi said. Before Iruka realized what was going on, a cloud of dust and leaves surrounded him. When it died away, he found himself standing in the garden with the cherry trees. The blossoms glistened in the rain, shimmering droplets falling like starlight to splash on the grass below. A cold hand cupped his jaw, tilting it up, and he stared into wide, hesitant mismatched eyes. With a small smile, he closed his own, trusting. A breath huffed against his lips, once, twice. Just as Iruka was about to give up, a warm pair of lips sealed over his own. He inhaled softly, opening his mouth to return the kiss. Ah, the wonders of breathing through your nose. The kiss deepened.

Kakashi slid a hand onto his waist and cupped the back of his neck with the other. Iruka didn't even care about the rain at this point. He wrapped his arms around the taller man's neck. Kakashi hummed against his mouth, and Iruka licked shyly at his bottom lip. The Copy-nin opened his mouth and slipped his tongue against Iruka's. The teacher made a little sound in the back of his throat as that tongue invaded his mouth, exploring. He gripped the man's shoulders with one hand, sliding the other one up into silver hair. Kakashi bit down gently on the chunin's lip, eliciting a whine and a gasp at the same time.

He growled low in his throat. The dogs watched from the house as their boss lifted the teacher effortlessly, nudging him to wrap lean legs around his waist and pinning him to tree.

"Uhh... should we say something...?" Asked Ūhei.

Bull whuffed. "Not unless we want to stop this," he pointed out.

Bisuke nodded. "Yeah, that teacher's not a voyeur," he agreed.

Shiba groaned. "I'm not watching this--"

"Of course not," Pakkun interrupted. "None of us are. He's just saying this is the only mate Boss has had... well, ever, now that I think about it. We'll be dead in seconds if we point this out now." He led the pack away from the window. "Come on," he said. "Let's go hide as far away from the bedroom as possible."

Indeed, not a minute later, the door burst open and the pair stumbled clumsily back into the bedroom. The poor dogs tried to drown out the noise, but it seemed their master was hell-bent on drawing every possible sound out of his new mate. Who was certainly not protesting. It turned into a very long night.

===============================

Iruka woke up in a bed that definitely was not his. The events of the night before returned to him and he sighed, snuggling into the warm body behind him.

Kakashi murmured something, draping a pale arm over his hips and drawing him closer. Iruka smiled as the jonin nuzzled his hair sleepily. He looked over his shoulder to give the man a soft kiss.

"Never would have pegged you for the cuddle after sex type," he murmured. Kakashi's chuckle rumbled through Iruka's body.

"Learn something new every day, I suppose," he said amusedly. Iruka smiled.

"Mm," he agreed. Turning around, he laid his head on the Copy-nin's collar, nuzzling his neck. Kakashi snorted.

"And you think I'M the cuddly one?" The teacher hummed into Kakashi's neck, affirming that yes, he thought this. Kakashi smiled, hugging the teacher closer. Iruka sighed softly against his skin, sliding his arms up against the smooth chest. A moment later, he froze.

"Er... Pakkun-san, good morning," he said, hiding behind the jonin and trying to cover himself up. The pug shook his head.

"Morning, Iruka-sensei," he said.

"Boss, SEND US HOME FIRST NEXT TIME. We've been in the house all night! It was way too awkward!"

Kakashi cringed. "Uh... sorry, Pakkun. Where are the others?" Pakkun huffed.

"In the kitchen. Come on, we're hungry." He turned and trotted out of the room. Kakashi sighed, one hand slipping down Iruka's back to grope at his rear. Iruka pretended to be annoyed, swatting the hand away.

"Well," Kakashi said with a sigh, "better get up. The pups won't wait for long, I'm guessing." Iruka churred softly.

"Let me cook," he said.

"Ah, no," Kakashi said hastily. "Never doing that again. We almost lost the house last time." Iruka humphed.

"You told me to pour the alcohol in and set it on fire!" Kakashi barked a laugh.

"Not half the bottle!" He said. "You almost DIED!" Iruka climbed out of the bed.

"Well, I can USUALLY cook," he said. "I'd never used vodka before. Besides, it was TWELVE YEARS AGO." He laughed as Kakashi poked him in the side. As soon as they were dressed, they headed to the kitchen.

The dogs, needless to say, looked awful. They recovered quickly, however, under Iruka's loving petting and gentle, happy voice. Pakkun and Bisuke joined Kakashi in the kitchen. Bisuke's tail wagged furiously.

"I like him," he said. "He's kinda familiar, too." Pakkun sighed.

"He came to live with us for a few weeks when Boss was a pup himself," he explained.

"He was the boy that was so thin you could see his spine in his stomach." Kakashi and Bisuke both shuddered, remembering.

"Oh yeah..." said the little dog. "He was nice. He's still nice. I like him." Iruka's laugh floated in from the other room like bells, half-drowned out by Bull's happy bark.

"Oy!" Yelled Kakashi. "Come on, don't bark at him!" Bull grumbled, prompting a very human snicker.

"I heard that, 'Ruka!" He called, then turned back to breakfast. If he hadn't been who he was, the tanned arms wrapping around him might have surprised him. Instead, he turned his head to press a chaste kiss to the chestnut hair of the man whose head rested on his shoulder.

Urushi pretended to choke. "Man, you guys are like a married couple!" He complained. Kakashi snorted and turned to kiss Iruka fully, slow and sweet. The chunin hummed, then drifted back to the dogs to play some more. Kakashi heard the distinct yelp of Akino as the smaller dog was butted out of the way by Bull.

"Be kind," Iruka scolded. Kakashi fully expected the mastiff to huff. Instead, he tucked his tail between his legs and apologized sheepishly. The jonin smiled to himself. Iruka had unwittingly established himself as second in command, after Kakashi alone. It was a nice realization.

~One year later~

Iruka was just training. It was Sunday, so there was no school, and he really needed to sharpen his skills. Kakashi stepped into the field with his genin team, telling them to be quiet and watch.

Iruka had convinced Anko to spar with him, and the three genin watched (two with mouths hanging open, one unimpressed) as their former sensei leapt, ducked, spun and weaved, dancing a complex pattern around his partner. She launched kunai and shuriken and even ninjutsu at him, but he deftly avoided them all.

Finally, the jonin got a grip on his vest and hurled him at a tree. Kakashi didn't flinch, but the genin gasped as Iruka arched his back and flipped gracefully in midair to land on the tree trunk and pushed off, launching himself back at Anko and knocking her off balance. His momentum took them both by surprise and they tumbled, rolling over and over, grappling now, but Iruka was slippery.

Out of the corner of her eye, Anko glanced Team 7 and grinned wickedly. Iruka kicked her, rolling gracefully to his feet and turning fluidly to face her as she gained hers. Anko attacked again, and the two moved so fast they blurred until at last, the jonin landed a kick that sent him flying back. Kakashi caught him easily, sending an amused glare Anko's way. She saluted him with a smirk.

"Wow, Sensei!" Sakura said as Kakashi set the slightly dizzy chunin on his feet. "I didn't know you could move like that!" Iruka shook his head.

"When did you all get here!?" He cried. "Y-You weren't supposed to see that!" Naruto pumped a fist in the air.

"That was awesome, Iruka-sensei!" He cheered, loud as ever. "You're super fast!" Iruka laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Don't tell anyone," he said. "I want that particular ability in my secret arsenal, the one my students don't know about." Naruto humphed.

"I wouldn't tell anybody anyways," he grumped. "It's Sasuke who'd blurt it out." The three adults snorted together.

Sasuke chuckled. "Sure, usuratonkachi," he scoffed. Sakura glared.

"Well, _anyway_," she said before Naruto could open his mouth, "it was incredible!"

Anko nodded. "Yeah, I almost lost that time. You're probably good enough to take the jonin exam now!" Iruka blushed, scratching self-consciously at his scar.

"Oh, n-no," he said. Kakashi tugged his vest playfully.

"You could do it, 'Ruka," he said. "I've been telling you for months now!" Iruka sighed.

"And I've been saying no for as long," he reminded the jonin. "I'm quite happy with my job, thanks." Anko's eyebrow was raised suspisciously.

""Ruka'?" She asked. Iruka's eyes widened.

"Uh, no, er, um, you see--" Kakashi wrapped his arms around the teacher's waist, drawing him back and resting his chin on the chestnut locks. Iruka huffed, but turned his head to kiss the jonin on the cheek.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH PERVERT PERVERT PERVERT PERVERT DON'T TOUCH IRUKA-SENSEI OH MY GOD WHAT ARE YOU DOING PERVERT PERRVEEERRRT!!!!!" Naruto's shriek (sorry, 'manly cry') had everyone in the clearing clapping their hands over their ears and cringing.

"NARUTO, STOP IT!" Iruka commanded. The Uzumaki obeyed instantly. Sakura looked ready to faint and Sasuke kept eyeing her as though preparing to catch her if she fell. Iruka sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Naruto," he said calmly, "He wasn't supposed to TELL you yet, but I am involved with Kakashi-sensei, so please keep your thoughts on the matter to yourself. Understood?" Naruto humphed and pointed at Kakashi.

"I'll approve," he said, "'cause you protected him from that bastard a while back. But if you ever hurt him, I'm not the only one who'll be out for your blood, so watch out. Believe it!" That said, he crossed his arms. Sakura squeaked and collapsed, but Sasuke was ready. He caught her up bridal style; she'd be happy to know that later.

Iruka fought his blush down with every ounce of willpower and met Naruto's blue eyes. He held out his arms for a hug and the blond ran to him without hesitation.

"You're a good kid, Naruto," he muttered into the unruly hair. Sasuke, he noticed, was closer than he had been before. The boy was like a cat; he would never ask for attention, but always seemed to position himself near enough to receive it.

So Iruka pulled him and Sakura in as well, laughing as the bristly preteen calmed his ruffled feathers. Sakura's lovely green eyes blinked open. She blushed at the position she found herself in and looked up at Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun," she said quietly, "I'm awake." With a grunt of acknowledgement, Sasuke put her down carefully, making sure she could stand. Iruka smiled at the scene.

"Careful, Sasuke," he cautioned. "That was almost emotion!" Kakashi burst out laughing, followed by Anko and Naruto's snickers. The two jonin shook their heads. When they went their separate ways, Kakashi walked Iruka to his apartment. At the door, Iruka checked to make sure it was clear and kissed Kakashi through the mask.

Kakashi pulled the offending cloth down and captured soft, sweet lips again. Iruka pulled his vest, tugging him into the apartment. The jonin chuckled, following his lead.

"When I saw you," he said huskily, "In the street, coming back from the market, I thought you were sexy." He bit down on the chunin's neck, eliciting a whine. "I'm amending that now," he groaned, pulling out Iruka's hairtie and running his hands through chestnut locks. "Forget about sexy, you're a whole different creature."

Iruka bit down on his lip and pressed him against the door. "Oh, Kami," Kakashi breathed. "You're sex on legs." The brunet growled wordlessly.

"'Kashi," he groaned, "shut up and take me to bed already." Kakashi's breath caught in his throat.

"Of course," he said, voice a little strained. He lifted the chunin, earning a surprised gasp, and carried him into the bedroom, where he proceeded to make a mess of him.

Afterward, laying tangled in the sheets with the man of his dreams beside him, Iruka felt a small smile curve across his face. Yeah, it had been a long road getting here. But in the end, the Sun rises, and the Moon falls. And no matter where it happened, Kakashi would always be there by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! The story is at last at an end; thank you to everyone who stuck with it, to everyone to kept reading. Please comment, I love reading them!!   
Love,  
~Fox


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